Article including identification information for use in an electrically heated smoking system

ABSTRACT

A smoking article includes identification information encoded on the smoking article. The smoking article can be used with an electrically heated smoking system having a detector for detecting the smoking article and distinguishing the smoking article from other articles based on the identification information. A cleaning article includes identification information encoded on the cleaning article. The cleaning article cleans an electrically heated smoking system having a detector for detecting the cleaning article and distinguishing the cleaning article from other articles based on the identification information. An electrically heated smoking system for receiving an article configured for use with the smoking system includes: a cavity for receiving the article having identification information encoded thereon, a heating element, a power supply, electrical hardware, and a detector capable of detecting the presence of the article in the cavity and distinguishing the article from other articles based on the identification information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/141,116, filed Dec. 26, 2013, which is aDivisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/645,254,filed Dec. 22, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,689,804, issued Apr. 8, 2014,which application claims priority to European Application No.08254145.9, filed Dec. 24, 2008, the entire content of each isincorporated herein by reference thereto.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to an article including identificationinformation, for use in an electrically heated smoking system. Thepresent invention further relates to an electrically heated smokingsystem for receiving such an article. The article may be a cleaningarticle or a smoking article.

A number of prior art documents, for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,060,671,5,388,594, 5,505,214, WO-A-2004/043175, EP-A-1 618 803, EP-A 1,736,065and WO-A-2007/131449, disclose electrically operated smoking systems,having a number of advantages. One advantage is that they significantlyreduce sidestream smoke, while permitting the smoker to selectivelysuspend and reinitiate smoking.

Electrically heated smoking systems typically include a power supply,such as a battery, connected to a heater to heat an aerosol-formingsubstrate, to form the aerosol which is provided to the smoker. Inoperation, these electrically heated smoking systems typically provide ahigh power pulse to the heater to provide the temperature range desiredfor operation and to release the volatile compounds. Electrically heatedsmoking systems may be reusable and may be arranged to receive adisposable smoking article, containing the aerosol-forming substrate, toform the aerosol.

Smoking articles developed for electrically heated smoking systems aretypically specially designed, because the flavors are generated andreleased by a controlled heating of the aerosol-forming substrate,without the combustion that takes place in lit-end cigarettes and othersmoking articles. Therefore, the structure of a smoking article designedfor an electrically heated smoking system may be different from thestructure of a lit-end smoking article. Using a lit-end smoking articlewith an electrically heated smoking system may result in a poor smokingexperience for the user, and may also damage the system because, forexample, the smoking article is not compatible with the system. Inaddition, there may be a number of different smoking articles which areeach configured for use with the system, but which each provide adifferent smoking experience for the user.

Some of the electrically heated smoking systems of the prior art includea detector which is able to detect the presence of a smoking articlereceived in the smoking system. An improved electrically heated smokingsystem including a detector which offers additional functionality to thesmoker, and an improved article for use with such a system is providedherein.

SUMMARY OF SELECTED ASPECTS OF THE INVENTION

A smoking article, including identification information encoded on thesmoking article, is configured for use with an electrically heatedsmoking system having a detector for detecting the smoking article anddistinguishing the smoking article from other articles based on theidentification information. In the preferred embodiment, theidentification information is printed on the article. Preferably, theidentification information includes visible ink, ultra violet (UV) ink,infra red (IR) ink, phosphorescent ink, fluorescent ink or metallic ink.Also preferably, the identification information includes one or more of:smoking article type, aerosol-forming substrate type, cleaning articletype, cleaning means information, cleaning ingredient type, date ofproduction, place of production, batch number and other productiondetails, and use-by date. Moreover, the identification information isarranged to change as the article is used.

A cleaning article, including identification information encoded on thecleaning article, is configured for cleaning an electrically heatedsmoking system having a detector for detecting the cleaning article anddistinguishing the cleaning article from other articles based on theidentification information. In the preferred embodiment, theidentification information is printed on the article. Preferably, theidentification information includes visible ink, ultra violet (UV) ink,infra red (IR) ink, phosphorescent ink, fluorescent ink or metallic ink.Also preferably, the identification information includes one or more of:smoking article type, aerosol-forming substrate type, cleaning articletype, cleaning means information, cleaning ingredient type, date ofproduction, place of production, batch number and other productiondetails, and use-by date. Moreover, the identification information isarranged to change as the article is used.

An electrically heated smoking system for receiving an articleconfigured for use with the smoking system includes a cavity for atleast partially receiving the article, the article includingidentification information encoded thereon, at least one heatingelement, a power supply for supplying power to the at least one heatingelement, electrical hardware connected to the power supply and the atleast one heating element, and a detector capable of detecting thepresence of the article in the cavity and distinguishing the articlefrom other articles, based on the identification information. In thepreferred embodiment, the article is selected from a smoking article anda cleaning article. Preferably, the system is arranged to initiate whenthe detector detects the article in the cavity. Also preferably, theelectrical hardware is arranged to establish a heating protocol for theat least one heating element based on the particular article identifiedby the detector. In the preferred embodiment, the system is configuredto receive a plurality of smoking articles including identificationinformation, and the system is arranged to operate only with a subset ofthe plurality of smoking articles configured for use with the smokingsystem, each smoking article of the subset being distinguishable by thedetector, based on the identification information. Moreover, thedetector includes an optical sensor. The optical sensor includes atleast one light emitter and at least one light sensor, and theidentification information is printed on the article. Preferably, theidentification information is configured to be altered during heating soas to indicate whether the article has been used. Also preferably, theelectrical hardware includes a sensor to detect air flow indicative of auser taking a puff.

A smoking article specially adapted for use with the electrically heatedsmoking system is also provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be further described, by way of example only, withreference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of an electricallyheated smoking system having a smoking article inserted into an articlereceiving cavity.

FIGS. 2 a-2 d are an illustration of four exemplary embodiments ofarticles configured for use with the electrically heated smoking systemof an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A smoking article including identification information encoded on thesmoking article, and configured for use with an electrically heatedsmoking system having a detector for detecting the smoking article anddistinguishing the smoking article from other articles, based on theidentification information is provided.

The smoking article can be detected by the detector, and one smokingarticle can be distinguished from another article, based on theidentification information. Preferably, the article is one article of aplurality of articles configured for use with the system, and thedetector is capable of distinguishing the article from other of theplurality of articles configured for use with the system, based on theidentification information.

A cleaning article including identification information encoded on thecleaning article, and configured for cleaning an electrically heatedsmoking system having a detector for detecting the cleaning article anddistinguishing the cleaning article from other articles, based on theidentification information is also provided.

The cleaning article can be detected by the detector, and one cleaningarticle can be distinguished from another article, based on theidentification information. Preferably, the article is one article of aplurality of articles configured for use with the system, and thedetector is capable of distinguishing the article from other of theplurality of articles configured for use with the system, based on theidentification information.

Preferably, the identification information is printed on the smokingarticle or the cleaning article. The identification information mayinclude visible ink, ultra violet (UV) ink, infra red (IR) ink,phosphorescent ink, fluorescent ink or metallic ink. Furtheridentification information may be included in the smoking article orcleaning article.

In one embodiment, the identification information includes a linear codeor a bar code. In another embodiment, the identification informationincludes one or more of: smoking or cleaning article type,aerosol-forming substrate type, cleaning ingredient type, date ofproduction, place of production, batch number and other productiondetails, and use-by date.

In a further embodiment, the identification information is arranged tochange as the smoking article is smoked or the cleaning article is usedto clean the system.

Preferably, the smoking article includes an aerosol-forming substrate.The aerosol-forming substrate includes a tobacco-containing materialcontaining volatile tobacco flavor compounds which are released from thesubstrate upon heating. Alternatively, the aerosol-forming substrate mayinclude a non-tobacco material such as those used in the devices ofEP-A-1 750 788 and EP-A-1 439 876. Preferably, the aerosol-formingsubstrate further includes an aerosol former. Examples of suitableaerosol formers are glycerine and propylene glycol. Additional examplesof potentially suitable aerosol formers are described in EP-A-0 277 519and U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,911.

The aerosol-forming substrate may be a solid substrate. The solidsubstrate may include, for example, one or more of: powder, granules,pellets, shreds, spaghettis, strips or sheets containing one or more of:herb leaf, tobacco leaf, fragments of tobacco ribs, reconstitutedtobacco, homogenized tobacco, extruded tobacco and expanded tobacco.Optionally, the solid substrate may contain additional tobacco ornon-tobacco volatile flavor compounds, to be released upon heating ofthe substrate.

Optionally, the solid substrate may be provided on or embedded in athermally stable carrier. The carrier may take the form of powder,granules, pellets, shreds, spaghettis, strips or sheets. Alternatively,the carrier may be a tubular carrier having a thin layer of the solidsubstrate deposited on its inner surface, such as those disclosed inU.S. Pat. Nos. 5,505,214, 5,591,368 and 5,388,594, or on its outersurface, or on both its inner and outer surfaces. Such a tubular carriermay be formed of, for example, a paper, or paper like material, anon-woven carbon fiber mat, a low mass open mesh metallic screen, or aperforated metallic foil or any other thermally stable polymer matrix.The solid substrate may be deposited on the surface of the carrier inthe form of, for example, a sheet, foam, gel or slurry. The solidsubstrate may be deposited on the entire surface of the carrier, oralternatively, may be deposited in a pattern in order to provide anon-uniform flavor delivery during use. Alternatively, the carrier maybe a non-woven fabric or fiber bundle into which tobacco components havebeen incorporated, such as that described in EP-A-0 857 431. Thenon-woven fabric or fiber bundle may include, for example, carbonfibers, natural cellulose fibers, or cellulose derivative fibers.

The aerosol-forming substrate may be a liquid substrate and the smokingarticle may include means for retaining the liquid substrate. Forexample, the smoking article may include a container, such as thatdescribed in EP-A-0 893 071. Alternatively or in addition, the smokingarticle may include a porous carrier material, into which the liquidsubstrate may be absorbed, as described in WO-A-2007/024130,WO-A-2007/066374, EP-A-1 736 062, WO-A-2007/131449 and WO-A-2007/131450.The aerosol-forming substrate may alternatively be any other sort ofsubstrate, for example, a gas substrate, or any combination of thevarious types of substrate.

An electrically heated smoking system for receiving an articleconfigured for use with the smoking system is also provided. The systemincludes: a cavity for at least partially receiving the article, thearticle including identification information encoded thereon; at leastone heating element; a power supply for supplying power to the at leastone heating element; electrical hardware connected to the power supplyand the at least one heating element; and a detector capable ofdetecting the presence of the article in the cavity and distinguishingthe article from other articles, based on the identificationinformation.

The detector is not only able to detect the presence of the article inthe cavity, but is also able to distinguish between one article andother articles. This is done based on the identification information onthe article. Preferably, the electrically heated smoking system isreusable.

Preferably, the article is selected from a smoking article and acleaning article. Preferably, each smoking article is disposable.Preferably, each cleaning article is either disposable or reusable. Thecleaning article may include one or more of: at least one cleaning tool,for example a brush, cloth, wipe or swab, for mechanical cleaning, andone or more cleaning ingredients for chemical cleaning.

During operation, the smoking article, and its aerosol-formingsubstrate, may be completely received in the cavity and thus completelycontained within the electrically heated smoking system. In that case, auser may puff on a mouthpiece of the electrically heated smoking system.Alternatively, during operation, the smoking article may be partiallyreceived in the cavity such that the aerosol-forming substrate is fullyor partially contained within the electrically heated smoking system. Inthat case, a user may puff directly on the smoking article or on amouthpiece of the electrically heated smoking system.

Preferably, the system is arranged to initiate, when the detectordetects the article in the cavity. The system may be initiated when theelectrical hardware connects the power supply and the at least oneheating element. Alternatively, or in addition, the system may beinitiated when the system switches from a standby mode to an activemode. Alternatively, or in addition, the system may further include aswitch and may be initiated when the switch is turned on, such that theat least one heating element is heated only when an article is detectedin the cavity. Initiation of the system may additionally oralternatively include other steps.

The detector is capable of detecting whether or not an article ispresent in the cavity. Because of this, the system and article have anumber of advantages. For example, power saving is provided because thesystem does not need to permanently remain in an active mode, but canremain in a standby mode, switching to the active mode only when anarticle is detected. In addition, the power used can be optimized for aparticular user, when a smoking article is detected, depending onsmoking habits of the user. The system also allows for a shorter time tofirst puff for a smoking article, because the article can be heated assoon as it is detected. This minimizes the time delay between a user'sfirst puff and the user receiving the aerosol. Furthermore, safety maybe improved because the system activates only when a valid article isdetected. Therefore, there is no chance that the heating element willenergize unless the valid article is present.

The detector may also be arranged to indicate when the article isremoved from the cavity. In that case, the system may be arranged toswitch from the active mode to the standby mode. Alternatively, or inaddition, if the system includes a switch, the switch may be turned offwhen the article is removed from the cavity.

The detector is also capable of distinguishing between articles, whichprovides a number of advantages. In particular, the detector may becapable of distinguishing between a cleaning article and a smokingarticle. Additionally, the plurality of articles may include a pluralityof smoking articles and the detector may be arranged to distinguishbetween each of the plurality of smoking articles configured for usewith the smoking system. Furthermore, the plurality of articles mayinclude a plurality of cleaning articles and the detector may bearranged to distinguish between each of the plurality of cleaningarticles configured for use with the smoking system.

Preferably, the electrical hardware includes a programmable controller,for example, a microcontroller, for controlling operation of the heatingelement. In one embodiment, the controller may be programmable bysoftware. Alternatively, the controller may include application specifichardware, such as an Application-Specific Integrated-Circuit (ASIC),which may be programmable by customizing the logic blocks within thehardware for a particular application. Preferably, the electricalhardware includes a processor. Additionally, the electrical hardware mayinclude memory for storing heating preferences for particular smokingarticles and, optionally, cleaning articles, user preferences, usersmoking habits or other information. Preferably, the information storedcan be updated and replaced depending on the particular smoking articlesand cleaning articles usable with the smoking system. Also, theinformation may be downloaded from the smoking system.

In one exemplary embodiment, the electrical hardware includes a sensorto detect air flow indicative of a user taking a puff. The sensor mayinclude a thermistor. The sensor may be an electro-mechanical device.Alternatively, the sensor may be any of: a mechanical device, an opticaldevice, an opto-mechanical device and a micro electro mechanical systems(MEMS) based sensor. In that case, the electrical hardware may bearranged to provide an electric current pulse to the at least oneheating element when the sensor senses a user taking a puff. In analternative embodiment, the system further includes a manually operableswitch, for a user to initiate a puff.

Preferably, the electrical hardware is arranged to establish a heatingprotocol for the at least one heating element based on the particularsmoking article identified by the detector. The heating protocol mayinclude one or more of: a maximum operating temperature for the heatingelement, a maximum heating time per puff, a minimum time between puffs,a maximum number of puffs per smoking article and a maximum totalheating time for the smoking article. Establishing a heating protocoltailored to the particular smoking article is advantageous because theaerosol-forming substrates in particular smoking articles may require,or provide an improved smoking experience with, particular heatingconditions. As already mentioned, preferably, the electrical hardware isprogrammable, in which case various heating protocols may be stored andupdated.

Similarly, the electrical hardware may be arranged to establish aheating protocol for the at least one heating element based on theparticular cleaning article identified by the detector. This might beadvantageous if the cleaning ingredients of particular cleaning articlesprovide an improved clean in particular heating conditions. In oneembodiment, the heating element may be arranged to activate a cleaningmeans, for example a cleaning ingredient, in the cleaning article.

Preferably, the electrical hardware is arranged to store informationbased on the particular smoking article identified by the detector. Thisallows monitoring of the various smoking article types used by aparticular user, in order to track customer preferences. The informationmay be stored in the electrical hardware, preferably in the memory. Theinformation is preferably retrievable from the electrical hardware.

In one embodiment, the article is one article of a plurality of articlesconfigured for use with the system. In that case, the detector iscapable of detecting the presence of the article in the cavity and alsocapable of distinguishing the article from other of the plurality ofarticles configured for use with the system, based on the identificationinformation. The plurality of articles may include a plurality ofsmoking articles. Additionally, or alternatively, the plurality ofarticles may include one or more cleaning articles.

If the plurality of articles includes a plurality of smoking articles,the system may be arranged to operate with a subset of the plurality ofsmoking articles configured for use with the smoking system, eachsmoking article of the subset being distinguishable by the detector. Inthis way, the system can be set up for use with only particular smokingarticles by, for example, programming the electrical hardware. Thisfeature provides a number of advantages. First, this may reduce oreliminate counterfeit smoking articles for use with the system. Second,this may allow manufacturers or distributors to limit the smokingarticles which can be used with the system, for example, to account fordifferent smoking articles available in different regions orjurisdictions. Third, this can also allow the smoking system to beconfigured for use with different subsets of smoking articles. Forexample, the smoking system, on purchase, might be usable with a firstsubset of smoking articles. After an update to the electrical hardware,the smoking system might be usable with a second, larger, subset ofsmoking articles. After a further update to the electrical hardware, thesmoking system might be usable with a third, larger, subset of smokingarticles.

In addition, different smoking articles may be suited for use withdifferent cleaning articles or a different frequency of cleaning. Forexample, a particular aerosol-forming substrate may require a particularcleaning ingredient, in order to achieve optimum cleaning of the smokingsystem. Therefore, if the smoking system is configured for use withdifferent subsets of smoking articles, the smoking system might also beconfigured for use with corresponding subsets of cleaning articles.

Thus, by providing a detector which is able to distinguish betweendifferent types of articles configured for use with the system, variousadvantages can be provided. One such advantage is that the powerconsumption of the system can be optimized based on the particularcleaning article or smoking article identified. In addition, thedetector can identify how many smoking articles, and which types ofsmoking articles, have been used with the smoking system, which mayindicate when or how often the smoking system needs to be cleaned andwith which cleaning article the smoking system needs to be cleaned.Also, the smoking system can distinguish between different types ofsmoking articles, different types of cleaning articles, and differentbatches of smoking articles of the same type, based on the informationencoded in or on the article.

The detector may include an optical sensor including at least one lightemitter and at least one light sensor. In a preferred embodiment, thedetector may include one light emitter and one light sensor. In otherembodiments, the detector may include more than one light sensor in theform of a one dimensional (e.g., linear) array of light sensors. Infurther embodiments, the detector may include more than one light sensorin the form of a two dimensional array of light sensors.

The identification information encoded on the article may include one ormore of: smoking article type, aerosol-forming substrate type, cleaningarticle type, cleaning means information, cleaning ingredient type, dateof production, place of production, batch number and other productiondetails, and use-by date.

The identification information may be printed on the article in variousforms. Various inks may be used for printing, including visible ink,ultra violet (UV) ink, infra red (IR) ink, phosphorescent ink,fluorescent ink and metallic ink. In one embodiment, the identificationinformation includes a plurality of lines and spaces. The lines andspaces may extend substantially around the circumference of the article.The lines and spaces may have a fixed width or a variable width. Theidentification information may be encoded as a one dimensional barcodeincluding the plurality of lines and spaces. In another embodiment, theidentification information includes a two dimensional array. The twodimensional array may include a data matrix or any other two dimensionalbarcode.

In another embodiment, the detector includes an inductive sensor forsensing metallic elements in or on an article, and the identificationinformation includes the metallic elements in or on the article. In thatcase, the detector preferably includes an induction coil positioned soas to surround an article received in the cavity. The identificationinformation is preferably encoded in the form of the amount of metallicelement in or on the article, different amounts identifying differentarticles. In one embodiment, the metallic element may be metallic ink.

In a given article, one or more different encoding methods may be usedfor the identification information. Similarly, the detector may includeone or more different types of sensors.

In one embodiment, the article includes information configured to bealtered during heating so as to indicate whether the article has beenused. The information configured to be altered during heating may beprovided in addition to the identification information. That is, twoseparate sets of information may be provided. Alternatively, theidentification information may be configured to be altered duringheating. That is, a single set of information may be provided. Forexample, information may be printed on the article, and the appearanceof the information may change, or the information may completelydisappear, during heating.

Further, the information configured to be altered during heating may bearranged to indicate how much the article has been used. For example,the information may indicate for how long the smoking article has beenheated or how many puffs have been taken or how many cleaning operationsthe cleaning article has performed.

The at least one heating element may include a single heating element.Alternatively, the at least one heating element may include more thanone heating element. The heating element or heating elements may bearranged appropriately so as to most effectively heat theaerosol-forming substrate in a smoking article or the cleaning means ina cleaning article.

The at least one heating element preferably includes an electricallyresistive material. Suitable electrically resistive materials includebut are not limited to: semiconductors such as doped ceramics,electrically “conductive” ceramics (such as, for example, molybdenumdisilicide), carbon, graphite, metals, metal alloys and compositematerials made of a ceramic material and a metallic material. Suchcomposite materials may include doped or undoped ceramics. Examples ofsuitable doped ceramics include doped silicon carbides. Examples ofsuitable metals include titanium, zirconium, tantalum and metals fromthe platinum group. Examples of suitable metal alloys include stainlesssteel, nickel-, cobalt-, chromium-, aluminium-titanium-zirconium-,hafnium-, niobium-, molybdenum-, tantalum-, tungsten-, tin-, gallium-,manganese- and iron-containing alloys, and super-alloys based on nickel,iron, cobalt, stainless steel, Timetal® and iron-manganese-aluminiumbased alloys. In composite materials, the electrically resistivematerial may optionally be embedded in, encapsulated or coated with aninsulating material or vice-versa, depending on the kinetics of energytransfer and the external physicochemical properties required. Examplesof suitable composite heating elements are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,498,855, WO-A-03/095688 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,630.

Alternatively, the at least one heating element may include an infra redheating element, a photonic source such as, for example, those describedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,289, or an inductive heating element, such as,for example, those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,505.

The at least one heating element may take any suitable form. Forexample, the at least one heating element may take the form of a heatingblade, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,388,594, 5,591,368and 5,505,214. Alternatively, the at least one heating element may takethe form of a casing or substrate having different electro-conductiveportions, as described in EP-A-1 128 741, or an electrically resistivemetallic tube, as described in WO-A-2007/066374. Alternatively, one ormore heating needles or rods that run through the center of theaerosol-forming substrate, as described in KR-A-100636287 andJP-A-2006320286, may also be suitable. Alternatively, the at least oneheating element may be a disk (end) heater or a combination of a diskheater with heating needles or rods. Other alternatives include aheating wire or filament, for example a Ni—Cr, platinum, tungsten oralloy wire, such as those described in EP-A-1 736 065, or a heatingplate.

The at least one heating element may heat the aerosol-forming substrateby means of conduction. The heating element may be at least partially incontact with the substrate, or the carrier on which the substrate isdeposited. Alternatively, the heat from the heating element may beconducted to the substrate by means of a heat conductive element.Alternatively, the at least one heating element may transfer heat to theincoming ambient air that is drawn through the electrically heatedsmoking system during use, which in turn heats the aerosol-formingsubstrate by convection. The ambient air may be heated before passingthrough the aerosol-forming substrate, as described in WO-A-2007/066374.

The electrically heated smoking system may further include an indicatorfor indicating when the at least one heating element is activated.

In one preferred embodiment, the power supply is a DC voltage source. Inone embodiment, the voltage source is a Lithium-ion battery or aLithium-ion phosphate battery. Alternatively, the voltage source may bea Nickel-metal hydride battery or a Nickel cadmium battery. The powersupply may include a power cell contained in the electrically heatedsmoking system. Alternatively, the power supply may include circuitrychargeable by an external charging portion and an interface forconnection to an external power source.

The electrically heated smoking system may further include a housing forreceiving the smoking article or cleaning article and designed to begrasped by a user.

A smoking article specially adapted for use with the electrically heatedsmoking system of the third aspect of the invention is also provided.

Features described in relation to one aspect of the invention may alsobe applicable to other aspects of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of anelectrically heated smoking system 101. The smoking system 101 includesa housing 103 having a front housing portion 105 and a rear housingportion 107. The front housing portion 105 includes a front end portion109 having a cavity 111 capable of receiving an article, such as asmoking article or cleaning article. In FIG. 1 , the smoking system 101is shown with a smoking article in the form of cigarette 115 received inthe cavity 111. In this embodiment, the front housing portion 105 alsoincludes a display 113. The display 113 is not shown in detail, but itmay include any suitable form of display, for example a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display or a plasma displaypanel. In addition, the display may be arranged to show any requiredinformation, for example relating to smoking article or cleaningarticle.

The electrically heated smoking system 101 also includes a detector (notshown in FIG. 1 ) positioned in or adjacent the cavity 111. The detectoris able to detect the presence of an article in the cavity and is alsoable to distinguish between the various articles which may be usablewith the system. This will be discussed further with reference to FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 shows four exemplary embodiments of articles 115, 115′, 115″,115′″, which may be used with the electrically heated smoking system ofan embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 a shows a smoking article, in the form of a cigarette 115. InFIG. 2 a , information related to the cigarette type is encoded inone-dimensional form, using a plurality of generally circular lines 201.The generally circular lines are located on the portion of the cigarette115 which is to be received in the cavity 111. In this embodiment, thegenerally circular lines are located as far from the heating end aspossible, to reduce the likelihood that the lines will be damaged duringthe smoking experience. The generally circular lines may be printed onthe smoking article with infra red (IR), ultra violet (UV) or visibleink or even using phosphorescent or fluorescent markings. In otherembodiments, the generally circular lines may be printed on the smokingarticle with any type of suitable metallic inks.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 a , the generally circular lines 201include a plurality of lines and spaces of varying width. These may beencoded as a simple one dimensional barcode, according to appropriatebarcode encoding standards (see below). Alternatively, the generallycircular lines may include a plurality n of lines and spaces of the samewidth for encoding the information related to the cigarette type. Forexample, with n=3, the following codes are possible: 000, 001, 010, 100,011, 110, 101, 111, where 1 represents a line, and 0 represents a space,001, 010 and 100 may not be distinguishable from each other (unless amarker line is provided to indicate to the detector where the encodingbegins). Similarly, 011 and 110 may not be distinguishable from eachother. Thus, five possibilities are provided with n=3 If 000 is used toindicate that no article is present, only four possibilities areprovided. In general, unless a marker line is provided, 2^(n−1)+1possibilities are provided or, if 000 . . . is used to indicate that noarticle is present, only 2^(n−1) possibilities are provided.

Alternatively, the generally circular lines may include two lines, oneof fixed width F and one of variable width V for encoding theinformation related to the cigarette type. In this case, the cigarettetype would be given by V/F. The generally circular lines 201 do not needto extend around the entire cigarette. Preferably, however, thegenerally circular lines extend around the majority of the cigarette, sothat they can be easily detected by detector 203.

There are a number of barcode standards that might be suitable for usewith the articles of the invention. One barcode type that may be usefulfor the present invention is the “Interleaved 2 of 5” (I2/5) barcode,which is a high-density, continuous two-width barcode symbology. Thecode has bars (black lines) and spaces (white lines), each of which canbe wide or narrow. I2/5 encodes a pair of digits per five bars andspaces: the first digit is encoded in the five bars, while the seconddigit is encoded in the five spaces interleaved with them. Two out ofevery five bars or spaces are wide. Alternatively, another standardbarcode symbology may be used, or a custom code specifically for thisapplication might be developed.

In FIG. 2 a , the detector in the electrically heated smoking system isshown schematically at 203. In this embodiment, the detector 203includes a source of suitable light (IR, UV or visible, depending on theink used on the article) and at least one photosensor that detects thereflected light. The detector may include a single sensor that detectsthe reflected light. In that case, detection of the smoking article maybe performed as the smoking article is being inserted into the cavity,by measuring the time for the various lines to pass the detector. Or,the detector may include a plurality of sensors that detect thereflected light. In that case, detection of the smoking article may beperformed once the cigarette has been inserted into the cavity. Becausethe lines extend around substantially the cigarette's entirecircumference, if a plurality of sensors are used, they only need extendin one dimension along the longitudinal axis of the cigarette. Also,there is no need for the user to manually align the printed informationon the smoking article with the detector.

It should be understood that the features described in relation to thesmoking article of FIG. 2 a may also be used with another type ofsmoking article or with a cleaning article.

FIG. 2 b shows schematically a cleaning article 115′. The cleaningarticle includes cleaning means in the form of cleaning brush 205. InFIG. 2 b , information related to the cleaning article is encoded usinga two-dimensional (2D) barcode 207. The barcode is located on theportion of the cleaning article 115′ which is to be received in thecavity 111. In this embodiment, the barcode 207 is located as far fromthe heating end as possible, to reduce the likelihood that the barcodewill be damaged during the cleaning process. The barcode may be printedon the cleaning article with IR, UV or visible ink or even usingphosphorescent or fluorescent markings or metallic ink. The 2D barcodemay be in the form of a data matrix.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2 b , the cleaning means includes a cleaningbrush 205. Alternatively, the brush could be replaced with a swab, wipeor cloth, or another means for mechanically cleaning the inside of thecavity 111 (shown in FIG. 1 ). The cleaning means might also includecleaning ingredients, for example, added manually by a user beforecleaning, or contained within the cleaning article for ejection duringcleaning. In the embodiment of FIG. 2 b , the cleaning article includesa power supply (for example a battery or capacitor), electronichardware, and a brush actuator all housed within the article, which arenot shown in FIG. 2 b . In the embodiment of FIG. 2 b , the cleaningbrush can be actuated by one of two switches 206 a and 206 b. Actuationmay cause the brush to vibrate or rotate, for example, under operationof the brush actuator connected to the power supply. 206 a is a manualswitch that can be operated by a user pressing on it. 206 b is alsomanual, but is a pressure switch operated by applying gentle pressure tothe cleaning article towards the cavity. In other embodiments, one ofswitches 206 a, 206 b may be included, or neither could be included andthe cleaning article could rely on manual operation only. Upon detectionof the cleaning article, the heating element may be activated. Dependingon the particularly cleaning means in the cleaning article, this mayassist with cleaning. In the embodiment of FIG. 2 b , the cleaning brush205 is suitable for a system in which the heating element is a diskheater, or external heater. The particular configuration of the brushcan be altered for other types of heating element, for example aninternal pin heater.

In FIG. 2 b , the detector in the electrically heated smoking system isshown schematically at 209. In this embodiment, the detector 209includes a linear array of detectors, each including a source ofsuitable light and a photosensor that detects the reflected light. Sincethe detector is a linear array of detectors, the cleaning article shouldbe inserted into the cavity such that the barcode is aligned with thearray. Alternatively, the cleaning article may be inserted into thecavity and then rotated manually by the user, in order for the entirebarcode to pass alongside the array and thus for the linear array ofdetectors to read the two dimensional barcode. In another embodiment,the detector may include a two dimensional array of CCDs (charge coupleddevices). In that case, the cleaning article should be inserted into thecavity such that the barcode is aligned with the CCD array.Alternatively, the cleaning article may be inserted into the cavity andthen rotated manually by the user to align the barcode with the CCDarray. In any case, the appropriate position or rotation amount of thearticle in the cavity can be indicated to the user using mechanicalelements, for example a marker or groove in the article which alignswith a marker or groove on the cavity. In one embodiment, a protrusionis provided on the article which cooperates with a notch, groove orchannel in the cavity. The protrusion preferably extends in alongitudinal direction along the article, and is arranged to align witha corresponding longitudinal groove in the cavity wall. Alternatively,the protrusion may be provided in the cavity, with the correspondinggroove on the article.

Alternatively, to avoid the need for the article to be properly alignedor rotated in the cavity, the two dimensional barcode may be repeatedlyprinted around the circumference of the article. If the detectorincludes a two dimensional array of devices, assuming the dimensions ofthe array are sufficient, the detector's field of view will besufficient to read all portions of the barcode.

It should be understood that the features described in relation to thecleaning article of FIG. 2 b may also be used with another type ofcleaning article or with a smoking article.

The embodiments of FIGS. 2 a and 2 b use an optical emitter and sensorto detect the presence of the article in the cavity and to distinguishbetween various types of articles, using the information printed on thearticle. For a smoking article, this may be advantageous since thetipping paper or plug wrap of a cigarette can be used for printing, andthe printing will probably not affect the smoke chemistry when thesmoking article is heated.

FIG. 2 c shows a smoking article, in the form of a cigarette 115″. InFIG. 2 c , metal powder is mixed into the tobacco in the aerosol-formingsubstrate in the cigarette 115″. This is shown schematically ataerosol-forming plug 211. Variations in the amount of metal powder canindicate different cigarette types. In FIG. 2 c , the detector in theelectrically heated smoking system is an inductive sensor including aninduction coil surrounding the smoking article. This is shownschematically at 213. In this embodiment, the coil 213 is connectedperiodically and an increase in current indicates the presence of acigarette in the cavity. The amount of current increase differentiatesbetween different cigarette types. The metal could equally be includedin another form, for example as a metallised barcode, for example,printed on the cigarette.

Using an inductive sensor, rather than an optical sensor, may beadvantageous since the detector will not be affected by any contaminantsin the system. It should be understood that the features described inrelation to the smoking article of FIG. 2 c may also be used withanother type of smoking article or with a cleaning article. If used witha cleaning article, the metallic elements may be incorporated in thecleaning brush bristles or central core, or within the remaining portionof the cleaning article.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 a, 2 b and 2 c , information relatedto the smoking article or the cleaning article is encoded on thestructure of the article. This allows the electrically heated smokingsystem to, not only detect the presence of an article in the cavity, butalso to identify one type of article from a number of different typesusable with the device. For a smoking article, this enables theelectrically heated smoking system to tailor the heating to theparticular cigarette type or the particular user, or both. For example,particular substrates may require higher operating temperatures orlonger heating times. For a cleaning article, this enables theelectrically heated smoking system to tailor the heating to theparticular cleaning means. For example, particular cleaning ingredientsmay provide an improved clean with higher operating temperatures orlonger heating times. In addition, the cleaning operation can beadjusted depending on the smoking articles used with the system. Forexample, more frequent use of smoking articles will require morefrequent or longer duration cleaning, or certain types of smokingarticles may require more frequent or longer duration cleaning ordifferent cleaning ingredients. In addition, identification of theparticular article allows various information regarding the articles tobe stored, for example, the number of smoking articles smoked, the typesof tobacco, the number of smoking articles to next clean, and thepreferred type of cleaning article.

FIG. 2 d shows a smoking article, in the form of a cigarette 115′″. Asin FIG. 2 a , information related to the cigarette type is encoded usinga plurality of generally circular lines 215. The generally circularlines 215 are located on the portion of the cigarette 115′″ which is tobe received in the cavity 111 (shown in FIG. 1 ) and are located as farfrom the heating end as possible, to reduce the likelihood that thelines will be damaged during the smoking experience. In addition, anadditional generally circular line 217 is provided on the cigarette.Line 217 is located close to the heating end and is designed to changeduring the heating involved in the smoking experience. Alteration of theline will indicate that the cigarette has been smoked.

As in FIGS. 2 a and 2 b , generally circular lines 215 may be printed onthe smoking article with infra red (IR), ultra violet (UV), visible inkor even using phosphorescent or fluorescent markings or metallic inks.Circular line 217 may be printed with thermally sensitive ink arrangedto change or disappear when in the high temperatures reached within thecavity. Or another mechanism, allowing the line to alter in appearanceduring heating, may be used.

In FIG. 2 d , the detector is shown schematically at 219. The detectormay be any sort of suitable sensor, as described above with reference toFIGS. 2 a and 2 b . The detector is arranged to use generally circularlines 215 to detect the presence of the cigarette and identify thecigarette, and to use circular line 217 to determine whether thecigarette has been smoked. A single detector is shown in FIG. 2 d , butseparate detectors for lines 215 and 217 respectively, may be provided.It is possible for the line 217 to indicate simply whether the cigarettehas or has not been smoked. Or, the line 217 may indicate how much thecigarette has been smoked. Such information can indicate whether furtherpuffs are available from the cigarette and other similar information.Such information may be stored in the hardware. Such information mayalso be displayed to the user.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2 d , one set of information (lines 215) isused to identify the cigarette and another set of information (line 217)is used to identify whether, and optionally how much, the cigarette hasbeen smoked. However, it is equally possible for a single set ofinformation to indicate both the cigarette type and whether it has beensmoked. For example, one set of lines might provide encoded informationon the cigarette, as well as be arranged to change during heating. Theposition of the lines on the cigarette will be appropriate depending onthe purpose of the lines.

It should be understood that the features described in relation to thesmoking article of FIG. 2 d may also be used with another type ofsmoking article or with a cleaning article. If used with a cleaningarticle, line 217 will indicate whether the cleaning article has alreadybeen used for cleaning and optionally how much cleaning the cleaningarticle has performed. In addition, a number of different printedarrangements (for example a barcode or a data matrix) may be used inplace of the circular lines.

Although the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2 a, 2 c and 2 d show asmoking article in the form of a cigarette, having a solidaerosol-forming substrate, this need not be the case. Theaerosol-forming substrate may be a solid substrate provided in adifferent form, such as in a capsule that is completely contained withinthe electrically heated smoking system. The aerosol-forming substratemay, alternatively, be a liquid substrate, such as described in EP-A 1736 065. The aerosol-forming substrate may be any other suitable type ofsubstrate.

In addition, the illustrated embodiments shown an electrically heatedsmoking system in which a user puffs directly on the smoking article.However, this need not be the case. The user could puff directly on thesystem, for example on a mouthpiece.

The described embodiments of the invention provide a number ofadvantages. Firstly, the system allows for reasonable manufacturingtolerances in the cigarette dimensions. The system allows forvariability in environmental factors, such as temperature and humidity.The system is reasonably robust, to allow for consumer handling. Thesystem also provides reliable, consistent operation for a variety ofsmoking article and cleaning article types.

In this specification, the word “about” is often used in connection withnumerical values to indicate that mathematical precision of such valuesis not intended. Accordingly, it is intended that where “about” is usedwith a numerical value, a tolerance of ±10% is contemplated for thatnumerical value.

In this specification the words “generally” and “substantially” aresometimes used with respect to terms. When used with geometric terms,the words “generally” and “substantially” are intended to encompass notonly features which meet the strict definitions but also features whichfairly approximate the strict definitions. In this connection, the term“circular” is intended to also include configurations including two ormore substantially straight line segments describing the “circular”feature.

While the foregoing describes in detail a preferred an article includingidentification information for use in an electrically heated smokingsystem with reference to a specific embodiment thereof, it will beapparent to one skilled in the art that various changes andmodifications may be made to the article, which do not materially departfrom the spirit and scope of the foregoing description. Accordingly, allsuch changes, modifications, and equivalents that fall within the spiritand scope of the appended claims are intended to be encompassed thereby.

1-6. (canceled)
 7. A smoking system comprising: an article including,encoded identification information, and usage information, the usageinformation indicating whether the article has been used, the usageinformation being separate from the encoded identification information;and a detector configured to detect a presence of the article in thesmoking system and distinguish the article among other smoking systemarticles configured for use with the smoking system, based on theencoded identification information and the usage information.
 8. Thesmoking system of claim 7, wherein the article is a smoking articleincluding an aerosol forming substrate including reconstituted tobacco.9. The smoking system of claim 8, wherein the encoded identificationinformation is configured to change when the smoking article is smoked.10. The smoking system of claim 7, wherein the article is a cleaningarticle configured for cleaning the smoking system.
 11. The smokingsystem of claim 10, wherein the encoded identification information isconfigured to change when the cleaning article is used to clean thesmoking system.
 12. The smoking system of claim 7, wherein the encodedidentification information is printed on the article.
 13. The smokingsystem of claim 7, wherein the encoded identification informationincludes at least one of visible ink, ultra violet (UV) ink, infrared(IR) ink, phosphorescent ink, fluorescent ink, metallic ink, asub-combination thereof or a combination thereof.
 14. The smoking systemof claim 7, wherein the encoded identification information identifies atleast one of a smoking article type, an aerosol-forming substrate type,a cleaning article type, a cleaning means information, a cleaningingredient type, a date of production, a place of production, aproduction batch number, production details, a use-by date, asub-combination thereof or a combination thereof.
 15. The smoking systemof claim 7, wherein the encoded identification information includes aplurality of lines having spaces therebetween, each of the plurality oflines representing a first value and each of the spaces representing asecond value, the first value and the second value being different. 16.The smoking system of claim 15, wherein the first value and the secondvalue are binary values.
 17. The smoking system of claim 15, wherein theplurality of lines are circular.
 18. The smoking system of claim 7,wherein the encoded identification information includes at least a firstline and a second line, the first line having a first width and thesecond line having a second width, the first width and the second widthbeing different.
 19. The smoking system of claim 18, wherein the firstline represents a first value and the second line represents a secondvalue, the first value and the second value being different.
 20. Thesmoking system of claim 19, wherein the first value and the second valueare binary values.
 21. The smoking system of claim 18, wherein the firstline and the second line are circular.
 22. The smoking system of claim7, wherein the usage information includes a thermally sensitive ink thatchanges when heated at a noncombustible temperature.
 23. The smokingsystem of claim 7, further comprising: at least one heating element; apower supply for supplying power to the at least one heating element;and electrical hardware connected to the power supply and the at leastone heating element, the electrical hardware including memory forstoring heating information for the article.
 24. The smoking system ofclaim 23, wherein the smoking system is configured to initiate when thedetector detects the article.